1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a disk apparatus, particularly to a disk apparatus in which a disk set on a disk tray and carried in to a disk setting position is grasped by a chucking mechanism.
2. Description of the Related Art
FIG. 7 is a perspective exploded view showing a drive chassis 3, a movable member 5, a cam plate 6 and so forth used in a related art disk apparatus, and FIG. 8 is a schematic bottom view illustrating a portion of the related art disk apparatus.
Referring to FIG. 8, a reference numeral 1 denotes a frame formed in a rectangular shape. A disk tray 2 can be moved in the direction (longitudinal direction) shown by an arrow A along which the disk tray 2 is carried in to and carried out from the frame 1. The disk tray 2 is provided on an upper surface thereof with a recessed portion (not shown) in which a circular disk is to be placed. A disk placed in the recessed portion is carried in to and carried out from a disk setting position that is substantially a central portion of the frame 1 in accordance with a movement of the disk tray 2 in the direction of the arrow A.
A drive chassis 3 provided with a disk scanning optical pickup 4 capable of being moved forward and backward in the longitudinal direction is attached to the frame 1. The drive chassis 3 is attached at one section of one longitudinal end portion 31 thereof to the frame 1 so that the drive chassis 3 can be swung vertically at a free end 32 thereof, which is on the opposite side of the end portion 31, around an attaching portion X serving as a fulcrum. The drive chassis 3 is provided at the side of the free end 32 thereof with a movable member 5 made of a lift lever formed substantially in the shape of the letter “C” in plan view. Support shafts 52, 52 provided on left and right arms 51, 51 of the movable member 5 are supported pivotably on bearings 12, 12 provided on the portions of the frame 1 which are opposed to left and right side portions of the drive chassis 3. The free end 32 of the drive chassis 3 is joined to the movable member 5. Two widthwise end portions of the free end 32 is attached to the movable member 5 in a relatively swingable manner. The portion of the movable member at which the free end 32 of the drive chassis 3 is joined to the movable member 5 are shown by reference letters Y.
A cam plate 6 is attached to a front plate 13 of the frame 1 in a relatively slidable manner in the lateral direction W, and a projecting shaft 33 provided on the movable member 5 is engaged slidably with a cam hole 61 made in the cam plate 6. When the cam plate 6 is slid in the lateral direction W, the movable member 5 is moved up and down around the support shafts 52, 52 with the projecting shaft 33 which is moved up and down around the support shafts 52, 52 as the projecting shaft 33 is guided by the cam hole 61. Through such upward and downward movements of the movable member 5, the drive chassis 3 is swung at the free end 32 in the vertical direction around the attaching section X of the first-mentioned longitudinal end portion 31.
The purpose of swinging the drive chassis 3 at the free end 32 in the vertical direction in the disk apparatus of this construction is to lift from the disk tray 2 the disk carried in to a disk setting position by the disk tray 2, and have the disk grasped by a chucking mechanism (not shown). The disk thus grasped by the chucking mechanism is rotated with the chucking mechanism. A scanning operation is carried out with the optical pickup 4 moved radially with respect to the rotating disk. The chucking mechanism includes a receiving member attached rotatably to an upper surface side of the frame 1, and a disk pressing member adapted to lift the disk. The disk pressing member is disposed on the disk tray 2, and press the disk from the disk set position against the receiving member. The disk pressing member is a turntable attached rotatably to the drive chassis 3. The disk tray 2 is provided with an opening which allows the passage of the disk pressing member during a disk chucking operation. A reference numeral 34 denotes a motor used to rotationally drive a turntable as the disk pressing member, and a reference numeral 35 denotes a motor used to reciprocatingly move the optical pickup, these motors being provided on the drive chassis 3.
In order to prevent in this kind of disk apparatus an impact from being transmitted from the frame 1 and movable member 5 to the drive chassis 3 provided with the optical pickup 4, a first buffer member 71 is provided in a position X at which the drive chassis 3 is joined to the frame 1, and second buffer members 72, 72 are provided in positions Y, Y at which the drive chassis 3 is joined to the movable member 5. This arrangement will further be described with reference to FIG. 7
As shown in FIG. 7, the first buffer member 71 and second buffer members 72 are made of cylindrical members 7 of soft vibration-proof rubber provided with an annular groove 7a in axially intermediate portions thereof. The first buffer member 71 is supported on the drive chassis 3 by fitting the buffer member 71 at the annular groove 7a in a non-closed hole 36 formed in the end portion 31 of the drive chassis 3, and a fixing screw 7 inserted from the lower side of the first buffer member 71 thereinto is driven into a threaded hole (not shown) of the frame 1 shown in FIG. 8. When the end portion 31 of the drive chassis 3 is thus attached to the frame 1, the free end 32 of the drive chassis 3 becomes swingable through the deformation of the first buffer member 71 around a one-dot chain line X′ with the attaching portion X used as a fulcrum. The second buffer members 72 are supported on the drive chassis 3 by fitting the buffer members 72 at their annular grooves 7a in non-closed holes 37 formed in the free end 32 of the drive chassis 3, and fixing screws 74 inserted from the lower side of the second buffer members 72 thereinto are driven into threaded holes (not shown) of the movable member 5 shown in FIG. 8. When the drive chassis 3 is thus attached at the free end 32 to the movable member 5, the free end 32 of the drive chassis 3 and the movable member 5 become relatively swingable through the deformation of the second buffer members 72. Moreover, an impact occurring in the frame 1 and movable member 5 is absorbed in the first buffer member 71 and second buffer members 72, and rarely transmitted to the drive chassis 3.
In the related art disk apparatus shown in FIG. 8, the motor M used for inserting and withdrawing the disk tray 2 into and from the frame 1 is provided in a substantially central section of a front portion of the frame 1. A rotational movement of this motor M is transmitted to a rack 21, which is provided on the disk tray 2, via a gear train (not shown), and converted into a linear movement. The rack 21 is provided in an offset position on one side of the opening of the disk tray 2.
JP-U-6-11142 includes a description of a disk chucking mechanism provided in a disk player. In this disk chucking mechanism, faults thereof, etc. which cause troubles, are eliminated by elaborating the shape of a cam hole.
In the related art disk apparatus described with reference to FIG. 7 and FIG. 8, the free end 32 of the drive chassis 3 is joined to the movable member 5, the vertical movements of which are controlled by the cam hole 61 of the cam plate 6, via the second buffer members 72. This enables the free end 32 of the drive chassis 3 to be swung through a pivotal movement or a vertical movement of the movable member 5. The left and right arms 51, 51 of the movable member 5 are provided on the left and right sides of the free end 32 of the drive chassis 3. Therefore, the movable member 5 comes to have large dimensions, so that the cost of manufacturing this part increases correspondingly. Since the left and right arms 51, 51 of the movable member 5 are provided in left and right spaces of the free end 32 of the drive chassis 3, the motor M as a driving power source for inserting and withdrawing the disk tray 2 into and from the frame 1 cannot be provided in these spaces. Therefore, the motor M need to be provided in the substantially central section of the front portion of the frame 1 as mentioned above. As a result, it became difficult to simplify the structure of the gear train by reducing a distance between the motor M and rack 21.